Major blow to AAP in MCD as 13 councillors resign, announce formation of Indraprastha Vikas Party
In a signed statement submitted to the MCD, the councillors cited disillusionment with AAP’s leadership and internal coordination as key reasons for their departure
The most surprising defection is that of Mukesh Goel, a seasoned municipal leader who recently contested the Adarsh Nagar assembly seat on an AAP ticket and served as the Leader of the House in the MCD. (PTI)
In a significant political shake-up within the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), 13 councillors elected on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) tickets have tendered their resignations and announced the formation of a new political front — the Indraprastha Vikas Party (IVP).
The group, led by Moralband councillor Hemanchand Goyal, is set to function as an independent bloc within the MCD. In a signed statement submitted to the MCD, the councillors cited disillusionment with AAP’s leadership and internal coordination as key reasons for their departure. “[We] were elected in the Delhi Municipal Corporation in… 2022 on the ticket of Aam Aadmi Party. But despite coming to power in the [MCD] in 2022, the top leadership of the party was unable to run [it] smoothly. Coordination between the top leadership and… councillors was negligible, due to which the party came into the opposition. Due to failure to fulfil promises made to the public, we, the following councillors, are resigning from the primary membership of the party,” they stated in their letter.
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With the fresh wave of defections, the AAP’s numbers in the MCD have been reduced from 113 to 100. The BJP has 117, and the Congress 8.
In its response, the AAP hit out at the BJP and alleged, “Since the Mayoral elections, the BJP has been trying to poach our councillors. Each councillor was offered Rs 5 crore. The BJP does not have a majority to form the Standing Committee or Ward Committees — so it is resorting to buying people…”
MCD Mayor and BJP leader Raja Iqbal Singh said, “AAP’s corruption and dictatorship led to the formation of a third front”. “It disrupted civic development and damaged constitutional order during its rule. It failed to maintain even basic sanitation during its two-and-a-half-year tenure,” he added. Delhi Congress Chief Devender Yadav also said the exodus of councillors is a result of party convenor Arvind Kejriwal’s weak leadership.
A surprise defection
However, the most surprising defection is that of Mukesh Goel, former Leader of the House in the MCD. Goel, once a prominent Congress figure during its tenure in the MCD, joined AAP ahead of the 2022 civic elections and was named the party’s Leader of the House thereafter. A seasoned municipal leader, he recently contested the Adarsh Nagar assembly seat on an AAP ticket.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Goel explained the rationale behind the new front: “The party will only function as a front at the MCD level. The AAP was sitting at the helm of the MCD for 2.5 years; in that period, the councillors have been not allotted any budget, the councillors were told to not raise matters of concern from their areas, there were constant fights between the AAP and the BJP and the AAP never acted like a responsible government and never agreed to sit and listen to the concerns of the opposition. They never allowed the monthly house meetings to be held, and they would always end in a ruckus; there was gross civic neglect. Our plan is to act like a strong opposition at the MCD level that the AAP has been unable to do.”
Asked if his decision was influenced by being replaced as the MCD’s Leader of the Opposition by Ranjeet Nagar councillor, Ankush Narang, following AAP’s loss in the recent mayoral election, Goel said, “During my Congress tenure, after working as the standing committee chair for years, the party had named Jai Kishan ji to be the new standing committee chair and I continued to work as a normal karyakarta for years. It’s about mutual respect, which is lacking in the leaders of this party. They don’t even pick up our calls.”
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The announcement was made at a press conference at the Constitution Club, where Goel also hinted that more councillors were likely to join the new formation in the coming days.
While the IVP has claimed that 15 councillors have joined its ranks, only 13 have publicly confirmed their affiliation so far.
Among those who have joined the new front are Bankner ward councillor and Arjuna Awardee Dinesh Bhardwaj, a former captain of the Indian Kabaddi team; Himani Jain from Vasant Vihar; Usha Sharma from Sadar Bazar; Sahib Kumar from Vikas Puri; Rakhi Yadav from Hatsal; Ashok Pandey from Vikas Nagar; Rajesh Kumar from Mubarakpur; Sumar Anil Rana from Rohini-B; and Devendra Kumar from Mayur Vihar Phase 2.
This development comes just weeks after the BJP regained control of the MCD by winning the mayoral elections, marking a critical reversal of fortunes after two years in opposition.
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The timing is particularly significant as elections for chairpersons of the 12 zonal ward committees — instrumental in determining the composition of the powerful 18-member Standing Committee — are fast approaching.
The Standing Committee plays a key role in the civic body, with no proposal exceeding Rs 5 crore able to pass without its approval.
Previously, the AAP had managed to secure five of the 12 zonal committees. Out of the 18 Standing Committee seats, the BJP managed to secure 9 seats while the AAP was close at 8. One seat had remained vacant due to an AAP-BJP tussle, hindering the composition of the standing committee.
The new defections may now further complicate its position in the upcoming civic leadership contests.
Saman Husain is a Correspondent at The Indian Express. Based in New Delhi, she is an emerging voice in political journalism, reporting on civic governance, elections, migration, and the social consequences of policy, with a focus on ground-reporting across Delhi-NCR and western Uttar Pradesh.
Professional Profile
Education:
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science (Honours) from Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi, and is an alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai.
Core Beats:
Her reporting focuses on the national capital’s governance and politics. She specializes in Delhi’s civic administration and the city units of the BJP, AAP and Congress. In western Uttar Pradesh, she mostly reports on crime.
Specialization:
She has a keen interest in electoral processes and politics — her recent contributions include work on electoral roll revisions.
Recent Notable Articles (since July 2025)
Her recent work reflects a strong show-not-tell approach to storytelling, combining narrative reporting with political and historical context:
1. Politics:
“On the banks of the Yamuna, a political tussle for Purvanchali support” (October 6): A report on how migration histories shaped electoral strategies in Delhi before the Bihar elections.
“Explained: How Delhi’s natural drainage vanished gradually over the centuries” (September 29): An explanatory piece tracing the historical reasons that eventually led to the erosion of Delhi’s rivers and its impact on perrenial flooding.
2. Longforms
“Four weddings, three funerals: How a Uttar Pradesh man swindled insurance companies” (October 7): A long-read reconstructing a chilling fraud by a man who killed three of his family members, including both his parents for insurance proceeds. His fourth wife discovered his fraud…
“How Ghaziabad conman operated fake embassy of a country that doesn’t exist — for 9 years” (July 27) : A story on bizarre fraud operation and the institutional blind spots that enabled it.
3. Crime and Justice:
“He was 8 when his father was killed. Fifteen years later, in UP’s Shamli, he took revenge” (October 18): A deeply reported crime story tracing cycles of violence, memory and justice in rural Uttar Pradesh.
“Who killed 19 girls in Nithari? With the SC rejecting appeals, there are no answers and no closure” (July 31): A report capturing the long legal and emotional aftermath of one of India’s most chilling unsolved criminal cases.
4. Policy Impact
“At Manthan, over US tariffs, Delhi-NCR’s apparel industry brainstorms solutions” (September 8) and “Trump’s 50% tariff begins to bite: Agra’s leather belt feels the impact” (August 13) : Reports documenting how global trade decisions ripple through local industries, workers and exporters.
Signature Style
Saman is recognized for her grassroots storytelling. Her articles often focus on the "people behind the policy". She is particularly skilled at taking mundane administrative processes and turning them into compelling human narratives.
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